The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Dover Motor Speedway this weekend, with Kyle Busch starting from the pole position. He becomes the seventh different driver to earn a pole position this season in NASCAR’s top division.
Kyle Busch secures first Richard Childress Racing Pole
During the qualifying session on Saturday, Busch nabbed the pole position with a speed of 192.191 mph. This is his first pole of the 2024 season and 34th career pole since his last pole at Dover last year.
Busch’s pole-winning is also the first of the season for his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team. He looks to continue his run of 20 consecutive seasons with a win in the series. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, who clocked a pace of 161.951 mph, will start alongside Busch at the second position on the grid.
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Kyle Busch reflects on the team’s efforts and upcoming test
In his post-qualifying interview with Fox Sports, Kyle Busch reflected on last year’s race at the “Monster Mile” and highlighted the work his team had been doing to better their performance:
“It’s pretty funny we were standing here talking about sitting on the pole here last year too with the rainout,” Busch said. “Started first and then my over-excitement of coming down pit road the first time, speeding on pit road, sent us to the back and didn’t quite have the race we wanted. Don’t want to make that same mistake this year.”
“We’re wanting to trend the right way and putting in the effort, putting in the hours, putting in all the extra work, and trying to figure out what’s going on and why,” he added. “But, this is our first test. We felt like Dover and [next week’s venue] Kansas would be a really good test of some stuff. And what do ya know? It worked. So let’s go.”
Front Row and Top Qualifiers
Chevrolet drivers occupied the top spots in the last round of the qualifying, with William Byron finishing third and Noah Gragson fifth. The fastest Toyota driver, qualifying fourth, was Tyler Reddick, who won last week at Talladega Superspeedway.
The top ten was completed by Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, and AJ Allmendinger.
Qualifying Incidents
However, not all drivers had a smooth qualifying session. On his qualifying lap attempt, Christopher Bell spun, and the rear of his No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry hit the turn 3 wall, causing minor damage but preventing him from recording a qualifying time. He will begin from the end of the pack.
Zane Smith and Kaz Grala encountered problems in the Group B practice. Smith’s No.71 Chevrolet rear tire failure caused damage, leading to significant contact with the wall.
Meanwhile, Grala’s Ford No.15 hit the wall nose first after losing control, and substantial damage resulted in the use of a backup car.
The Würth 400 race will begin this Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. The field will be led by Kyle Busch, who will try to win from the pole position, something that has not happened at Dover since 2010 when Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat.
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